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ALEXANDRIA — City Council returns from its summer recess Tuesday with a docket that includes an update on the Police Department's Flock cameras, an ordinance that would give furloughed federal employees more time to pay their personal property taxes, and first readings of two ordinances vacating city right-of-way near Russell Road.
An executive session begins at 6 p.m., with the regular meeting starting at 7 p.m. or shortly after in the Council Chamber at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center, 4850 Mark Center Drive, where council has met since City Hall closed for renovation in January.
It is council's first regular legislative meeting since June 23. Members returned once during the recess, for a July 29 special session at which they voted unanimously to let Independent Policing Auditor Ameratu Kamara reopen her investigation into the in-custody death of Allan F. Tucker II. Minutes from that meeting are on Tuesday's consent agenda.
Four reports from the city manager
City Manager James Parajon is scheduled to deliver his regular State of the Economy presentation and updates on the City/ACPS budget category process, on efforts to reduce the impact of City Hall construction on businesses, and on the city's Flock cameras. None of the four has supporting material posted with the docket, so what each will cover is not yet public.
The Flock item is the first scheduled council report on the license plate reader program since the debate over it resurfaced in August, when the company announced changes to its product and the coalition ICE Out of Alexandria called on the city to end its contract. Police Chief Tarrick McGuire has said Virginia law bars agencies from sharing the data with federal law enforcement and that there have been no violations involving Alexandria's data.
The City Hall report comes a week after the city disclosed that asbestos found in the 1960s south façade and two interior courtyards extended abatement work and pushed the $123.6 million project back 10 weeks, to a fall 2028 completion. Deconstruction of the 1960s infill section, the first highly visible phase, begins this month.
Tax due date for furloughed federal workers
Two tax ordinances are up for first reading on the consent agenda.
One would let the city extend the personal property tax due date for federal employees furloughed in a government shutdown, and for essential federal employees who keep working without immediate pay. It implements HB 915, passed by the General Assembly this year. Under the state law, employees apply for the extension and the taxes come due no later than 90 days after the government reopens.
Finance Director Kevin Greenlief wrote that staff brought the ordinance forward ahead of the next personal property due date, Oct. 5, and that it carries no fiscal impact. During the last shutdown, he wrote, the department managed about 200 payment plans for affected federal employees, with a high compliance rate. The city already has authority to grant extensions of up to 90 days for any taxpayer when good cause exists; Greenlief wrote that the narrower tool limits the reach of an extension and protects city cash flow.
Staff recommend a public hearing and final passage Sept. 19. The second ordinance would change the city's fee for passing bad checks, under HB 177.
Also on consent: the monthly financial report for the period ending June 30, the close of fiscal 2026; the council's closed meetings report for fiscal 2025 and 2026; and six grant items, including applications for a federal substance abuse prevention grant, a state sexual assault services grant, two grants from the Supreme Court of Virginia for drug testing and specialty dockets, an Office on Violence Against Women grant, and a resolution backing an application to the Federal Transit Administration's Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility program.
Russell Road vacations return
The only two individual action items are ordinances implementing the pair of right-of-way vacations at the southern end of the unimproved Kent Place, adjacent to 2702 and 2800 Russell Road, that council approved April 18 after opposition from some North Ridge neighbors. The Planning Commission had recommended approval 7-0.
Planning and Zoning Director Paul Stoddard wrote that final plats submitted since the hearing shifted the lines slightly because the strip is not a perfect rectangle. The total vacated area grows by 1 square foot, to 7,621; within it, 2702 Russell Road gains 21 square feet and 2800 Russell Road loses 20. Real Estate Assessment adjusted its valuations proportionally, to $64,147 and $68,612. Staff recommend approval, citing the limited changes since April.
Two policing board seats among 15 contested appointments
Council will fill seats on 15 boards and commissions, including two on the Independent Community Policing Review Board, one of them created by a resignation. Both are reserved for members from, or advocating on behalf of, communities that have experienced disparate policing. The board is awaiting Kamara's supplemental findings in the Tucker case; she told council in July she aimed to return them within 30 days, targeting September.
Other contested seats include AlexRenew, the Board of Zoning Appeals, the Commission for the Arts, the Commission for Women, the Commission on Aging, the Commission on Employment, the Commission on Persons with Disabilities, the Environmental Policy Commission, the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission, the Human Rights Commission, the Local Emergency Planning Committee, the Public Records Advisory Commission, the Sister Cities Committee and the Children, Youth and Families Collaborative Commission.
The meeting opens with proclamations recognizing September as Sickle Cell Awareness Month and as Suicide Prevention Month. Councilman Aguirre and Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley are set to report on the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, and Bagley on Virginia Railway Express. The closed session covers the performance of council appointees, the investment of public funds and legal advice on 2026 General Assembly actions.
How to participate
The meeting will be broadcast on government channel 70 and streamed on the city's website. Residents who want to watch or speak on Zoom must register in advance. The webinar ID is 946 9939 6930, the passcode is 703982, and the dial-in number is 301-715-8592.
Written comments may be emailed to CouncilComment@alexandriava.gov. Translation services are available with 48 hours' notice from City Clerk Gloria Sitton at gloria.sitton@alexandriava.gov or 703-746-4550.
The full docket and supporting documents are available online.
Ryan Belmore is an Alexandria resident and the founder and publisher of The Alexandria Brief. Send tips, feedback, and story ideas to ryan@alexandriabrief.com.
